Duke of Kent

Throw enough turds at a wall, eventually one will stick.

But you have to throw it first, and you have to throw it hard.

Creakyknees

I've done the opportunistic prime attack a number of times; made some good progress a few times, once got all the way to the bell lap before I was caught. So yeah, it might be worth a shot.

pinky

Big thing that sticks out to me is that you mention it was a technical crit - while that means a lot of things, anytime I'm racing with a lot of corners I'm thinking break. Lots of turns mean you get out of sight quicker, small break means you should make it through the turns quicker smoother and likewise the pack is going to be slowed a little bit by the same turns, likewise all those turns make it harder to get everything organized.

Northeast guys can look at the Beanpot and to a lesser extent the RI crit course (Ninigret).

Talon

How about another option?
You should've looked back to see if the big teams were doing an organized chase. If not, stick with the break. Even if the other two guys out power you and you get dropped halfway through the race, at least you're still many seconds ahead of the pack, and there's a chance you could solo in for 3rd before the pack catches you. At least that's the goal. It's up to you to make it happen.

I was more of a sprinter/kilo rider. One time I went for a prime and was dismayed to see another top pro on my wheel. I still gave it my all won the prime. The pro just kept going and won the race in a long solo break. He just used my effort to draft me and get a nice gap on the field. Smart move. The pack expects prime sprinters to drift back into the field, not keep going.

DrWJODonnell

tough call. I think that if the big guns go, you should go with them if you want to be a part of the party. You are talking about two good racers. They must have left early for SOME reason.

Having said that, waiting for the field to do its work? It's a good call.

Just happens to not work sometimes.

VosBike

If you can take a lap in 3 mins, I would love to sponsor your career in professional cycling.

acorn_user

For this one, I would have stayed with it. Drifting back is perfectly understandable though. My reason for sticking it out is that a break would be a far steadier effort than being in the pack. I always struggle with the fast - slow style of crits... I'd rather be doing a steadier effort.

zzzwillzzz

+1

you can do it that quickly on a 250m velodrome, but on a 1km to 1 mile crit i doubt it.

dgearhart

In my thread, i wrote that we were already 1/3 + through the .8 mi course and couldn't see the field behind us. Since it was a prime, we got there very quickly. The only strategy that would have worked would have been an all out 3 - 5 min effort if the pack assumed that we were waiting for them and didn't chase... However, that was my question, not sure it would work that way in reality, so I wanted to ask. It was a Cat 4 race where the pack goes somewhat slow unless someone is setting the pace or chasing. In that case, we probably could have stayed away til near the end, but we would have been caught eventually.